wheel of education

In this week's lab, we were asked to take everyday items found around the house and use them to create something that represents a BIG IDEA. The following are the 5 ideas that we could choose from:

Your view of learning

Your view of teaching

Your view of the meaning of life

Everyone matters

The value of creativity

Things don’t always make sense (e.g. 2 + 2 = 5)

Our connected world

I decided to go with "Your view of teaching". I believe as educators we need to differentiate our teaching methods so that we can reach all of our students. Students learn in different ways and we need to find out which works best for the students. We should never just lecture our students. Having multiple ways to deliver the material will keep all of our students engaged in what we are teaching. There are a few different ways that we can deliver material: hearing, seeing and feeling.

Hearing - listening to a lecture, listening to partners read etc.. Seeing - watching a small clip, students act out situations etc...Feeling - hands on activities, labs and projects etc..

Materials Used: Pizza box, marker, marble, paper, tape and ruler

reflection

I got the idea of making a roulette wheel from watching Caine's video of making games. I think that this could be a cool activity to have a student spin the wheel and have the outcome dictate how the teacher teaches that particular day. I had a little bit of trouble with this assignment at the beginning because I struggled turning an idea into something physical. How can I turn how I see learning into something that I could hold and feel. I was a little nervous when creating the box that it wouldn't move around as freely as a ball on the wheel. It's not tilted like a real roulette wheel but it does move around OK. During this lab I was able to go through the design stages once by creating a prototype and testing it. The next time through I might make small changes such as having the marble go down a ramp. However, with the current method, the students can control how much force the marble has, effecting how many times it can go around the box. It's not a perfect product, but it was a cool experience trying to build something out of everyday items.

For my problem of practice, I have started to work on creating a database to keep students fitness scores. This will allow all of the users in the physical education department to update data in one place and keep it secured. Another advantage of hosting this database online is that it will be easier to calculate averages and see trends. This week we were able to create a prototype of the database.

REFLECTION

In the prototype module, I was able to dive into Google Sheets and start to create a rough draft of my fitness testing. I was able to download the class lists into Microsoft Excel and transfer it over into Google. The database will be sorted by homeroom and then alphabetically. I then started to enter the scores in each of the categories. Each category is color coded so that users will be able to easily distinguish between scores. In each category are terms: F16 = fall 16, W17 = winter 17 and S17 = spring 16. Each test will be given three times throughout the year, once per term. The only exception to that will be the mile test. We will not be doing it in the winter due to New England weather. This will allow the teaches to see progress in each test without having to look all over the place.

One of the issues that I continue to struggle with is dealing with students who are absent or have medical excuses. In order to keep the averages accurate, I recorded their scores as O's and did not count them in total student count. Also, students who move into or out of the district will also receive O's for tests that they did not attempt. I am going to leave students who move out of district in their class until the end of the year and then move them to a new spreadsheet. This will keep their data in case they return to the district. I continue to explore the different features of Google Sheets to get used to the program. It is not as aesthetically pleasing and has limited features but I have found a few shortcuts to make things easier. Above you can see a print screen of the document. I have hid the column with the student's names due to confidentially. They are labeled student #1 etc. The link to the document can be found below: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TI00sp3gDea3JmTZTzFmyvVMsgHmYFLlRqlktgjrau0/edit

I have e-mailed Cui with information regarding access to the database due to the information in the document. ​

part one: brainstorming

In part one, we were asked to brainstorm with a partner or a group on key topics about our problem of practice. I was able to incorporate a brainstorm/incubation-like session with my co-worker Mike M. Below are the notes from our brainstorming session.

part two: incubation journal

In part two, we were asked to keep an incubation journal for a few days. I kept these notes in my pocket at work and would write down ideas about getting started, the design, questions I came up with and other notes. Below is are my notes and a sketch of what I want the online database to look like.

part three: reflection

In module four, we learned about the design step of ideate. When it comes to thinking outside the box or having an open-mind on ideas, I can struggle. I am more of a black and white thinker. As I've explored through the unit, I was able to experiment with different techniques to help myself think wide. Tools such as brainstorming, incubation, thought walks and asking how might we have all been beneficial as I tackle my problem of practice of transitioning to an online database for fitness scores. The transition for me to have an open-mind is slow but progress was made during this module. I can't believe I was able to relate a rack of different colored basketballs into a way of organization of tests in the database. As we move on to the prototype mode of design, I am excited to try to build this database using google sheets. This will allow my whole department to update the database at the same time. I will use the answers from my brainstorming session with Mike M and the ideas through our incubation lab to move forward with my project.

part one: article

part two: working on the problem

Questions you are struggling with

What system should I use to host my database (microsoft excel, google sheets etc.)

I have debated this question for the past couple weeks when thinking about the database. During my incubation period, I came to the conclusion that I would be using google drive because it can be accessed by multiple users and be stored on a cloud. If I had five people who wanted to shoot a basketball but only one basketball, it would take longer for everything to happen.

What is the best way to log the scores (by test, by year)

​I believe that scores should be logged by test so that scores will be right next to each other so it can be easier to see the progress that a student is making on a particular test over time.

How should each grade be organized (alphabetical or by teacher)

Grades or tabs will be organized by homeroom and then be alphabetical. This can be rearranged after each school year.

How will I get the Phys Ed teachers to buy into this

​This database will take time to get used to but I believe that most teachers will buy into the program. Scores will be recorded three times a year, so you'll be able to see results over a long period of time. It's almost like a longitudinal study.

What am I going to use this information for

This information will be used to see which areas that the students need to improve on for their physical fitness. It will also direct our lessons so that we can incorporate our weaker areas into our units to help improve the scores.

Issues or variables that present a problem for you

Teachers who do not know how to use the database

There are a few teachers that do not prefer to use technology. Setting up professional development and asking for help can help them get more comfortable with the database.

Will a certain program be around for awhile

I'm concerned that google drive won't be around forever. Even though our school is a google district, what would we do if we couldn't use the drive. AOL didn't last forever.

Thoughts that are kicking around in your head on your problem

I want to be able to share this information with my students

I want the students to be active with their scores when it comes to fitness testings. Maybe we can have the students look at their scores from the previous year and set short and long term goals with their parents at the beginning of each school year. This way there is parental involvement. ​

Possibilities, ideas, or solutions that have entered your mind

Asking other area districts what they do with their fitness scores and how they track them

I was able to send an email to two other local districts to see how they track scores and what they do with the grades. It will be interesting to see what they say.

part three: incubation

In part three, we were asked to take a half an hour break from our lab activity. I decided to shoot a basketball around.

part four: reflection

In part four we were asked to add notes to our ideas above. These notes and comments are in red font and are in bold text. We were also asked to reflect on our incubation process. Below are my thoughts.

After brainstorming for 15-20 minutes and asking essential questions about my problem of practice, I found that I could not just stop thinking about some of the solutions. In a way, this incubation period was like a thought walk because I was able to get up from my desk and just move around the gymnasium. I was able to use some of my senses: hearing the ball bounce around the court, feeling the texture of the basketball, looking at the sights throughout the gym. The last sense, was one that instantly solved an issue. I took a look at the rack of basketballs and they were color coded: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Each row had 5 of each color so we could track what color ball was missing at the end of the period. We have five fitness tests and each could be a different color on the database. This would be an easy way to see the five tests all on one spreadsheet. Who would have thought that I could relate the color of a basketball to a way to track scores.

I don't think I could ever fully clear my mind because I knew that as soon as the time was up, that I would be going right back to work. I do think that working-take a break-back to work, is a great way to get new ideas and to attack problems from a new angle. I know that before this module, I would use this process almost all the time when I was having trouble. I never knew that there was a term for it though. Now whenever I need a break, I will call it my incubation break! It's funny that it works for a lot of people and it's proven scientifically to work but they don't know exactly why it works. In Stone's article he says that there are six different hypothesis and one or a combination of all, could explain this process.

As we go through each stage of design, my problem gets a little bit clearer. Each design has different tools to help the designers think of all angles when trying to solve their problems. I will be using both brainstorming and incubation as tools going further.

References

Stone, Jim. (2015, January). The Creativity Hack You Can Do In Your Sleep. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/clear-organized-and-motivated/201501/the-creativity-hack-you-can-do-in-your-sleep